n e w s l e t t e r(no eucharist at 8) sunday january 3 eucharist at 8 all ages eucharist at 10...
TRANSCRIPT
from the Rector Sunday, December 6 Eucharist at 8 & 10 AM
Special Coffee Hour to
Celebrate St. Nick at 11:15 AM
Sunday, December 13 Eucharist at 8 AM
Lessons & Carols at 10 AM
Wednesday, December 16 Blue Christmas at 7 PM
Sunday, December 20 Eucharist at 8
Advent Pageant at 10
Christmas Eve, December 24 5 PM Festival Eucharist with Blessing
of the Crèche and children’s story
10 PM Festival Eucharist with
special music
Sunday, December 27 Eucharist and Hymn Sing at 10
(no Eucharist at 8)
Sunday January 3 Eucharist at 8
All Ages Eucharist at 10
Children’s offering of
Heifer boxes at 10
Sunday, January 10 Eucharist at 8 & 10
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Lead me from untruth to truth, from darkness to light
and from death to immortality. I pray for eternal peace.
A prayer from the Upanishads, One of the Sacred Texts of Hindus
Just a few weeks ago, Hindus around the world were celebrating Di-
wali. Diwali is also called the festival of lights. It marks the end of
one year, and the start to a new one. Diwali falls on the darkest day
in the month of Kartika in the Lunar Hindu calendar. On that day,
Hindus set out little clay oil lamps called diyas on window sills and
patios, and lanterns hang in public areas, and string lights, like
Christmas lights, encircle large commercial buildings. Even the air
is alive with light with the sights and sounds of fire crackers
The purpose of all these lights is, first of all, to let the Gods in
heaven know that all is well on earth. But the other purpose of the
lights is to welcome the Hindu goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of
spiritual and material wealth, into the home. To prepare for the arri-
val of Lakshmi, families thoroughly clean and decorate their homes,
and even leave sweet treats on the home altar just in case Lakshmi is
hungry. That is the outward work of Diwali, but there is also the
inward work. Along with cleaning one’s home, Hindus are also in-
vited to clean their hearts. They search their hearts to see what
needs to be cleansed and decluttered asking themselves “what do I
need to let go of to make room for the light?” Hindus embrace the
belief that the true light removes the darkness of ignorance – the ig-
norance that comes from bigotry, intolerance, selfishness, greed and
fear, to name but a few.
This Advent, as we await the coming of the Light of Christ, we too
are invited to prepare our hearts. We are invited as we approach the
New Year to think about what could we have done without this past
year that annoyingly took up needless space in our hearts and our
minds. Worry? Fear? Being judgmental? Anger? Over the weeks
that lead up to Christmas Day, as you prepare your home for the
Holidays, it is a perfect time to think about preparing your heart by
pausing each day to consider what else you need to get rid of and
what you need to tidy.
(cont’d on next page)
Altar Guild Meeting.................... 2 Christmas Caroling ..................... 2 Christmas Card ............................ 3 Nursery Schedule ........................ 4 Women’s Group .......................... 4 Hiking in North Carolina ........... 5 Annual Meeting .......................... 5 Youth Group Fundraisers .......... 6 Mutual Ministry Review ............. 6 Profile on the Millers .................. 7
I N T H I S I S S U E
N E W S L E T T E R DECEMBER 2015
Sarah Robbins-Cole
ST. MICHAEL’S___________________________________________________________________________2
CELEBRATE ST. NICK AT COFFEE HOUR DECEMBER 6
On December 6 we will be having a special coffee
hour in honor of St. Nicholas! You are invited to join
the holiday cheer by bringing in a plate of food that
is special to you and your family during the holiday
season to share. There will be a story, music, and
cheer. Remember your smartphones or cameras if
you would like to have a photograph with dear old
St. Nick!
ALTAR GUILD MEETING DECEMBER 13
There will be an Altar Guild Meeting on Sunday,
December 13 at 11:15 AM in the Meeting Room. If
you are interested in joining this integral part of our
parish life, please join us, or contact Camilla King
(508-429-0784 or [email protected]).
GREENING OF THE CHURCH
During Advent, members of the Altar
Guild are busy decorating St. Michael’s
for Christmas. On Sunday, December 20,
they welcome any parishioners who
would like to help after the 10 AM service. Please
contact Camilla King (508-429-0784 or camillak-
[email protected]) with any questions.
NEW ACOLYTES
We are so excited to welcome
new acolytes Mollaigh and
Ailin Flannery. They are al-
ready on the schedule and will
be teaming up with Trevor Pin-
terParsons on Sundays. Trevor
expertly trained both Mollaigh and Ailin in their du-
ties of "plates&gates" as well as bells and candles.
Just to tell you a little about our newest recruits in
the sanctuary, Mollaigh is seven. She loves art in
school, and loves playing piano and music when she
is home. Ailin is just a few weeks shy of 9. He loves
math and social studies in school, and loves football
and doing projects with his dad when home.
Welcome!
STOCKINGS OF HOPE – DEADLINE SUNDAY DECEMBER 20
This year St. Michael’s will again be fill-
ing Christmas stockings for 60 women
who reside in Serenity House. Please
adopt a stocking in the narthex, buy one
of each listed items and return your un-
wrapped stocking stuffers to St. Michael's
or Soul Spirit Studio, 76 Railroad Street by Sunday
December 20. If you prefer to make a cash dona-
tions those are happily accepted. Please make sure
Stockings of Hope is in the memo section. For more
information please Pamela PinterParsons at newpam-
ela@ comcast.net. Thank you for making the Holi-
days special for so many!
CHRISTMAS CAROLING
On Sunday December 20, at 5 PM YAC, Confima-
tion class, and Rite 13 will carol our commu-
nity. Please join us and send your youth appropri-
ately dressed in warm, festive apparel. We will meet
in the church parking lot at 4 PM. Do you have jingle
bells or hand shakers and sticks? Please bring them
along to make our singing even more festive! All pa-
rishioners are welcome to join us!
FROM THE RECTOR (CONT’D FROM COVER PAGE)
One of the prayer exercises that I try to use at the end
of each day is called the Examen which is based in
Ignatian spirituality. It is a way to pause and to invite
the light of Christ into your life. The Basic format it
to:
Ask God for light – to ask to see your life as God
sees it.
Give thanks – to realize each day is a gift of God
and to be thankful.
Review the day – to look back on the day just
completed, being guided by the Holy Spirit to see
it for what it was.
Face your shortcomings – to see where you went
wrong and to learn from it.
Look toward the day to come – and to ask God
for guidance in the day to come.
I wish you a very Holy and Fulfilling Advent and for
the gift of the Light of Christ on Christmas Day.
Yours in Christ,
Wishing you a blessed Christmas and New Year.
The Rector, The Wardens and Vestry of St. Michael’s
Christmas at St. Michael’s Church
Third Sunday of Advent, December 13
8 AM Eucharist
10 AM Candlelight Lessons and Carols
Wednesday, December 16
7 PM Blue Christmas Service
A special service for those experiencing loss
or sadness in this season of Christmas
Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 20
8 AM Eucharist
10 AM Christmas Pageant with Eucharist
Christmas Eve, December 24
5 PM Festival Christmas Eucharist
with Blessing of the Crèche and children’s story
10 PM Festival Christmas Eucharist with choir
The First Sunday after Christmas, December 27
10 AM Eucharist and Hymn Sing (one service only)
The Epiphany, January 3
8 AM Eucharist
10 AM All Ages Eucharist
Children’s offering of Heifer blessing bags
BOOK CLUB’S NEXT SELECTION
Our November meeting of the Book Club was a
smash hit and a new selection has already been cho-
sen. Our next meeting will be Sunday, January 10
from 4 to 6 PM in the Meeting Room, where we will
discuss Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks.
Please come join our enthusiasm for reading and lit-
erary discussion. And feel free to invite a friend!
Everyone ages 18 and up is welcome. Light refresh-
ments will be served. For more information please
contact Amy Plante at 508-429-4248 or stmich-
WOMEN’S GROUP
A meeting to kickstart a St. Michael's Women's
Group will be held on Sunday, January 31 at 11:15
AM in the Meeting Room. Let's come together in the
spirit of sisterhood for some fellowship and fun.
Bring your ideas and enthusiasm with you! For more
information, please contact Cathy Harper at
[email protected] or 508-429-7504.
ST. MICHAEL’S___________________________________________________________________________4
CHURCH SCHOOL SCHEDULE
On Sunday December 20, all children are invited to
take part in the annual Advent Pageant. There will
be no atrium lessons on that day, nor on Sunday, De-
cember 27, when children are invited to sit with their
families in church. Church School atrium lessons
will resume on Sunday, January 3.
NURSERY SCHEDULE
The nursery will be staffed on Sunday, December 20
but will not be staffed on Christmas Eve, December
24 because past experience has shown that there is
no demand for nursery care on those days.
CHRISTMAS FLOWERS AND MUSIC DONATIONS
If you would like to make a contribu-
tion towards the cost of Christmas poin-
settias or special music, please fill out
the form on the back page and mail it to the church
or place it with your donation in the offering plate on
Sunday. Poinsettias may be collected after the Ten
O’Clock Service on Sunday December 27.
TWO CHRISTMAS COFFEE HOURS
Providing treats for Coffee Hour for
December 20 and 27 in a sort of "pot
luck" sharing makes sense for all of
us during this busy time. As you are
baking and buying, think of providing
one treat for one of the coffee hours.
For more information, please contact
Nan Malone at 508-429-2135.
HYMN SING DECEMBER 27 AT 10 AM – ONE SERVICE ONLY
Do you have a favorite hymn that is seldom sung at
St. Michael’s? Or is there a hymn with special mean-
ing for you that you’d like to tell us about? On Sun-
day, December 27, at our one service only at 10 AM
that morning, we will have a hymn sing in place of
the sermon. Everyone is invited to come and say a
word or two about a favorite hymn – we’ll sing a
verse or two of each hymn.
COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS THIS CHRISTMAS….
and help those in need with our Heifer Advent
Calendar. Borrow a BLESSING BAG from
the tree, and sign it out on the sheet provided
in Eva's room. We will reuse these bags annu-
ally to collect for Heifer International. Take a
Heifer Advent Calendar home and hang it up
in a prominent place. Read the calendar daily,
and add donations for Heifer to
your BLESSING BAG as you count your
blessings. Invite family and friends to partici-
pate in this project. Bring your BLESSING
BAG filled with your collection to St. Mi-
chael’s on the Feast of the Epiphany. VOTE
for your favorite blessing at church when you
turn in your bag. We will tally up everyone's
contributions and donate an animal or tree to
Heifer. Thank you for sharing God’s gifts with
those in need this season. Questions? Contact
Michelle Tate at michellefran-
ANNUAL MEETING— ONE SERVICE ONLY AT 10 AM
Save the date for Sunday, January 24, when the Annual Meeting offers a chance for the en-
tire parish to get together. We will hold the majority of the meeting during the 10 AM ser-
vice and following the Eucharist, there will be a potluck brunch. There will be no 8 AM ser-
vice that morning. It’s an informal affair and we hope that you will be there. There will be
activities for children during the brunch.
ST. MICHAEL’S__________________________________________________________________________5
Thoughts While Hiking in North Carolina Nan Malone
Bob and I traveled to beautiful North Carolina in September so that I could hike a few miles on the Appala-
chian Trail. I knew that he would love Hot Springs, NC. It’s a trail town which means the trail goes right
through the downtown. There are AT symbols in the cement sidewalks to guide hikers through the town and,
hopefully, into the shops and restaurants. Bob was a frequent visitor to the Smokey Mountain Diner while I
was on the trail. There are actual hot springs close to the town center, and trains run through 3 or 4 times each
day. He was a happy trail chauffeur.
Many of the mountains in the south are what are called balds. Because of the more southerly latitudes and the
fact that the glacier did not get that far south and scrape away soil, all the mountains would be wooded. Native
Americans kept some open by fire to enhance small game hunting. Settlers kept them open by fire, grazing
and cutting. Although “bald” mountains are as high or higher than the Whites, they are gently rounded, cov-
ered with wildflowers, fruit trees, and lovely masses of rhododendron and azalea. In the spring hikers go
through tunnels of rhododendrons in bloom. One especially lovely bald is Max Patch, which is kept open be-
cause of haying; and at 4629 feet, offers spectacular vistas in all directions.
Bears? Plenty of black bears in the area. We saw a very large and handsome bear crossing the street in a
neighborhood as we were heading up the access road to Max Patch, but I did not see any on the trail (phew!). I
do carry bear spray when I am hiking solo, but try to head off any sightings by frequently clacking my hiking
sticks together and shouting, “Hey, Bear!” As September is not prime time for AT hikers in the South, I was
worried as I headed into the foggy, mysterious woods alone, that I would also be spending the night alone. I
can testify that alone in the woods at night is VERY alone. I got to the shelter area midafternoon and, as it was
in a small valley called Deep Gap, the light was already dim. The dark, dank stone shelter was quite old
probably made by the CCC. (Civilian Conservation Corps. In the 30’s, the CCC built many projects including
gorgeous stone arched bridges in Smoky Mountain National Park.) I opted
for my tiny, cozy REI tent. The sun began to lower and the light got dim-
mer and the woods got noisier with scurryings and chatterings. I knew at
any minute, “the very large and handsome bear” would be along. I know
that God does not necessarily respond to such prayers that we oft times
send aloft such as for parking spaces, but I did pray for a hiker to come
along. Just before quite dark, I heard the welcome noises of a hiker getting
water and cooking his supper. Hallelujah! Sometimes in the south, there
are metal wires strung about 15-20 feet up between two trees with wire and
pulleys to attach food bags and haul them up at night. This discourages
bears but, sadly, I found out, not mice. An enterprising rodent got into my
food bag and ate all my M&M peanuts - a very discerning rodent. I was
grateful it was not interested in my breakfast oat square or sandwich.
At times the trail can be lonely, but with all the saints that I call upon for
energy, courage, and company, I am never really alone! Also, I am confi-
dent that Bob will be waiting at the next road crossing; and while cell cov-
erage is spotty in them thar hills, eventually I could get help if needed.
APPALACHIA MISSION TRIP FUNDRAISERS
The Youth Group are going to West
Virginia the last week in July, 2016.
Below are two fundraisers that they
are doing in December to raise
money for the trip.
Christmas Cookies! We will take orders for our vari-
ety of Christmas Cookies, $10 per dozen that will be
wrapped and ready for you to pick up on Sunday,
December 20, just in time for Christmas! Please fill
out your order form and place in our Christmas
Cookie Box in the Narthex. All orders must be re-
ceived by December 14.
We are also taking orders for flamingo flockings. For
a donation of $25 you can send a flock of 10 flamin-
gos to a friend. You choose the date and time and let
us know the address and occasion, if any, and we
will have the flamingos mysteriously migrate to their
front lawn and then magically disappear within 24
hours. Our pink flamingos will bring a smile to your
friends or relatives face!
Order forms for each of these will be in the Narthex
or contact Cathy Harper [email protected] for
more details or to place an order.
YOUTH GROUP MIDDLE SCHOOL RETREAT
Jarvis Wyche
This past weekend I had the pleasure to accompany
three St. Michael’s middle school aged youth to the
Diocese of Massachusetts Middle School Retreat
held at the Barbara C. Harris Camp and Convention
Center. The weekend included a mix of fun, fellow-
ship, camp exploration, relaxation and worship. The
theme chosen for this weekend “Quest!” was an op-
portunity for the youth to explore their journey of life
and faith. For each worship opportunity, youth were
able to explore a particular aspect of what type of
Quest they were journeying as well as moments in
which God has been present in their journey-
ing. Along with this exploring their “Quest!” youth
were able to participate in different prayer practices
as well as establish new relationships with other
youth of our Diocese. Organized by the Diocesan
Youth Council (of which Tess May of St. Michael’s
is a member) the weekend was heightened by the live
band “Fever Fever” for all worship services and
Concert. I am elated by both the willingness of St.
Michael’s youth to take this journey and hope more
of the youth or our Parish take advantage of explor-
ing faith through offerings of our Diocese.
MUTUAL MINISTRY REVIEW
Dana Frye, Senior Warden
Greetings all! You may recall the War-
dens briefly discussing Mutual Ministry
Review in September when we held an all-parish town
hall meeting. I’d like to take the time to provide some
more information regarding what a Mutual Ministry
Review is, and what it isn’t, as the Vestry will set aside
time during the annual meeting for discussion and feed-
back. Other opportunities for participation will be
made available as I recognize that not all can attend the
annual meeting.
Mutual Ministry Review is an opportunity for us to
look at our achievements and challenges and to set and
agree upon joint goals for ministry. We can use the
work of the Search Committee as a starting point, as
the Parish Profile put together by this committee (the
Parish Profile is accessible from St. Michael’s website)
talks about who we are, talks about our ministries, and
identifies challenges we expect to face. Mutual Minis-
try Review can also be a time to look at new ideas for
ministry. It is a time to ask:
"What is working well and what needs our attention?"
"Do we need to make changes in our stated goals?"
"Are our goals relevant to where we find ourselves
today?"
"Are our expectations fair, realistic, a stretch--but
not impossible?"
Mutual Ministry Review is not a performance evalua-
tion of the Rector. The Vestry and the Diocese take on
this responsibility. Mutual Ministry Review is a time
for both parish and priest to reflect upon how the
church, in its broadest sense, has accomplished its
goals in a formal review process. It is a way to ask
questions about what God is calling the church to do at
a particular time. In addition, it is a way to determine
jointly the needs of the congregation and community
and the gifts of the "ministers"--lay and ordained--of
the congregation in meeting those needs. Although this
review occurs on an informal basis all the time, a for-
mal review is a process for stimulating open discussion
so that appropriate change can be planned, instead of
happening casually in the parking lot after church, on
the phone, or during coffee hour.
The Vestry and I look forward to your thoughts and
comments, as we will use this material in planning our
work for the upcoming year. St. Michael’s is blessed
to have vibrant and far-reaching ministries. The Mu-
tual Ministry Review will aid us in staying true to our
ministry callings.
ST. MICHAEL’S__________________________________________________________________________6
THE MILLERS—WITH ENERGY AND ENTHUSIAM TO SPARE
Barbara Gardner
Would anyone in our parish be surprised to learn that Debi Miller was once a cheerleader? This
energetic young mom of two who seems to take on daunting volunteer tasks in our church effort-
lessly must have been hard to keep up with back in High School too. She has co-chaired our an-
nual auction for two years, the auction raffle for three years and this year the raffle for Applefest. She will also
be a new reader this year and has taught Level 1 church school. She is proud that she was confirmed by
Bishop Barbara Harris. Husband Craig is no slouch either – he is finishing up his fourth year of a three + one
year term on the Vestry, helps with coffee hour, children’s ministries, and Buildings and Grounds, organizing
our fantastic fall clean up in October. He’s also planned fellowship events (such as the annual parish dinner)
and served on the Search Committee. Wow – they are a dynamic duo.
Massachusetts natives both, Debi grew up in Webster and Craig in Westwood. Their parents still live in those
communities. Debi graduated from High School in l986 and went to Mt. Ida, majoring in Retail Management.
She worked at Filene’s and eventually Ralph Lauren where she met Craig. Craig went to Pomfret, a prep
school in Connecticut and graduated from the Univ. of Vermont with an Engineering degree and worked part
time at Ralph Lauren where their romance began. Debi recalls their first date was dancing at the Roxy in Bos-
ton in December of l991. They were engaged in 94 and married in 96.
Debi’s heritage is from French, Polish and Irish stock. She grew up “Catholic Light” and went to Catholic
schools until the 8th Grade. She has one brother. Craig’s family is larger (4 siblings with a set of twins in the
mix) and are extremely close. His mom has been involved in the Episcopal Church for as long as he can re-
member and called Bishop Shaw by his first name. She sat on various ecumenical boards and served as a dea-
con. She has many causes she cares about, including Alzheimers, Rosie’s Place, runaway teens, and a home-
less shelter in Providence. His Dad was a Warden and taught Sunday school too. Debi spoke very highly of
her in-laws, explaining they made her feel at ease by putting her right to work and treating her as one of their
own. Their home parish was Trinity Church in Newton.
Debi’s career path was fairly predictable. She was a regional coordinator for Liz Claiborne for 8 years which
meant some traveling and also worked for Ralph Lauren. When Mackenzie arrived on the scene, she decided
to stay home but recently has begun working part time as a Geriatric Care Manager for a private home care
agency. Craig had a wonderful physician family friend who got him his first job, telling him “you’re starting
Monday”. Unpredictably for an engineering major, his path has been in the health services industry. That first
job catapulted him into becoming a hospital jack of all trades (scrubbing in the OR, computer networking, do-
ing research, etc.). In 9 years he went from local, to regional, and then to national level, working for the Dept.
of Veterans Administration on addressing both clinical and financial issues. After he created his own start up,
working on reducing complications and mortality through the development of a risk adjustment system for sur-
gery. He is currently a data manager at the American College of Surgeons in Chicago.
They are the proud parents of daughter, Mackenzie, age 10 and son, Logan, 6 years old. They live in a cozy
wooded setting on South Street with a great pond view off their rear deck. Some of their favorite things are
Cape Cod, sports, taking their dog Piper for walks in the woods and playing family games. Both kids are en-
rolled in Holliston’s famous French Immersion Program. They moved here in 2002 because it was close to
Interstate 495. They had previously rented a carriage house in Dover that had squash courts and Debi learned
to play the game there.
When asked about something that might surprise us, Debi shared that she mostly ran and walked the rest of the
way to finish the Boston Marathon for the Jimmy Fund in 6 hours’ time. Craig was the captain of the Crew
team at Pomfret. They describe our St. Michael’s parish as a “family community – one that is supportive and
caring as a whole”. Having grown up in very large churches, Debi especially enjoys the size of St. Michael’s –
small, where everyone knows your name. We feel fortunate indeed to so often be the beneficiaries of their
charming, youthful, consistent and, hopefully, infectious energy and enthusiasm and we thank them for sharing
it with us with such friendliness and good humor.
ST. MICHAEL’S__________________________________________________________________________7
CALENDAR —- TO BE ADDED
St. Michael’s Kids Page
St. Michael’s Episcopal Church 1162 Highland St. Holliston, MA 01746
Christmas Flowers and Music
If you would like to make a donation to the cost of Christmas flowers and special Christmas Eve music in “memory of” or “in thanksgiving for” a loved one or loved ones, please fill out
the form below and return it to Amy Plante in the parish office or place it in the offering plate. All memorials and thanksgivings received by December 20 will be listed in the
Christmas bulletins.
Name
In Memory of In Thanksgiving for